“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5
The Pharisees rejected God’s will when they rejected John the Baptist’s call to repent and be baptized in the name of the coming Messiah and Savior (cf. Luke 7:29-30). Jesus told Nicodemus, a Pharisee, that one cannot enter the kingdom of God if he is not born again of water and the gracious working of the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls Baptism a “washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Tit. 3:5). It is “the washing of water by the word” through which God brings us into the new covenant established through the shedding of Jesus’ holy and precious blood on the cross. When we trust in Christ and are baptized into His name, God cleanses us from our sins and makes us His own dear children and heirs of eternal life (Eph. 5:26; cf. Gal. 3:26ff.).
Grant, O Lord, that I not neglect Your Word but take comfort in the Gospel promises of forgiveness and life, pledged to me by the Spirit through Your Word and the waters of Baptism in Jesus’ name. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
Unless and until one is reborn from above by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word, trusts in Christ Jesus as Redeemer, and is baptized in His name, he cannot see or understand the kingdom of God. Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night, did not know God’s kingdom and was not yet a part of it because he, along with the rest of the Pharisees, had rejected John’s baptism and did not repent of their sins and trust in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior.
Dear Lord Jesus, grant me a true knowledge of You and faith in You and Your cross that I might see and be a part of Your eternal kingdom. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” Psalm 94:19
As the wicked prosper in this world and seek to cast doubt upon God and His Word, our souls are filled with anxious thoughts and fears, but the comforting promises of God’s Word delight our souls, giving us peace and rest as we await God’s judgment upon this corrupt and evil world and our deliverance and salvation through faith in God’s mercy for the sake of Christ Jesus, our Savior.
Grant to me the comforts of Your Word, O LORD, and sustain my faith until the fulfillment of all You have promised to those who trust in Your mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Messiah Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world. In His name, I pray. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.” John 2:19-21
The Jews asked for a sign that Jesus truly was and is the Son of God and the promised Messiah and Savior. The sign Jesus gave them was His death and His resurrection on the third day. His hearers didn’t understand, but His resurrection on Easter morning proves He is God the Son and that He has, on the cross, atoned for the sins of all that we might look to Him in faith for forgiveness and life eternal.
Dear Lord Jesus, grant that I see in Your death and resurrection proof that You are the Son of God and my Savior from sin and death that I might trust in You and be saved. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.” John 2:13-16
Should our churches, which are to be houses of prayer and places to hear God’s Word, be turned into places of business where goods and merchandise are sold and money exchanged? What do you think Jesus would say?
Grant that we have a true zeal for Your house, O Lord, and use it to hear Your Word and come before You with our prayers and praises. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
